Friday

Jul 27, 2012 at 12:01 AMJul 27, 2012 at 2:15 AM

Scott McLaughlin, the owner of the escaped and recaptured Burmese python in Plymouth, has absolutely no business owning large constricting snakes.

Scott McLaughlin, the owner of the escaped and recaptured Burmese python in Plymouth, has absolutely no business owning large constricting snakes. The irresponsibility on display here is shocking. No responsible snake keeper lets his or her charges “out to roam around a little.”

There are many parallels with so-called “dangerous” dogs on this issue. This behavior contributes to bias against snake keepers and leads to the creation of useless legislation that ultimately harms associated conservation work. The news media never helps the situation, especially when sensationalizing the content, magically turning a 6-foot snake into an 11- or 12-footer. Massachusetts has a native species of rat snake that routinely attains a larger size than the python depicted in the news footage.

The commonwealth of Massachusetts already heavily regulates the keeping of exotic wildlife, especially exotic snakes. All venomous species and three species of large exotic constrictors are illegal to possess without a state permit, which is virtually impossible to obtain. The irresponsible ownership of dogs has far greater ramifications for the general public than snake keeping. About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in the United States every year. About 850,000 of them need medical attention, and 30 to 35 people per year are killed by dogs. Exotic constricting snakes killed no one last year.